


Feelings corner

by beejones



Category: The Strange Case of Starship Iris (Podcast)
Genre: Friend Therapy, Gen, Post-S1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 12:52:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18917398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beejones/pseuds/beejones
Summary: Arkady tries to give some emotional support to RJ in the aftermath of episode 10. Despite the comedic potential, I chose to focus on ensuring RJ’s future mental wellbeing. Because that’s who I am, you know?





	Feelings corner

The new ship was amazing, of course, but it was hell on Arkady’s professional paranoia. First there had been the computer check, which she’d taken care of as soon as they’d left New Jupiter, high on painkillers and hand holding. Days two through four had been devoted to a physical sweep, with special emphasis on the areas that the IGR traditionally liked to bug. She was still itching to get behind the walls, but Violet had put her foot down. Arkady hobbling all over the ship with a leg brace and crutches was bad enough - crawling through the ventilation shafts was out of the question. And it turned out that Violet’s angry face was surprisingly severe for a short anxious science nerd. That, and Arkady didn’t like saying no to her. For some strange reason.

So today’s project was a stationary one - modifying the ship’s software to add countersurveillance measures, new defenses, and Dwarnian as an official language.

She’d been working for the last two hours and forty-seven minutes. And for approximately the last twenty-three of those minutes, RJ had been nursing a mug of tea across the table from her and emoting loudly. Agent or no, the kid was ridiculously easy to read. Honourable people usually were.

‘Hey.’ She tapped on the table, drawing RJ’s attention away from the huddle at the other end of the common area. ‘It’s not your fault.’

RJ stared at her, eyes wide. ‘What?’

‘It’s not your fault. Krejjh’s wound. Shit happens, you know?’

RJ nodded awkwardly, their eyes going back to the other end of the room. Sana and Brian and Krejjh were bent over star charts, trying to find the nearest Dwarnian outpost that was likely to be home to someone Krejjh knew. So that they could get Dwarnian surgery. For where RJ had shot them.

Violet had done her best, but she could only provide a temporary solution. Krejjh needed someone who knew what the inside of their body was actually supposed to look like.

It would be easy to leave the conversation there, but - well, Arkady could relate to RJ too well to let them sit there suffering.

‘I mean it,’ she said, eyes on the data pad in front of her. ‘No one blames you.’

RJ’s head jerked back towards her. ‘How can you say that?’ They whispered angrily. ‘I shot Krejjh! In a really vital part of the body! You should be…locking me up, or throwing me out the airlock, or _something_.’

God. Arkady was getting deja vu. What was it about her that made new crew think she was going to space them?

‘Do you _want_ us to throw you out the airlock, McCabe?’

‘No!’ RJ’s face was twisted with pent-up emotion. ‘But it would make sense. You shouldn’t be giving me my own cabin and donating spare clothes and…and asking me to watch films together.’

Arkady laughed. ‘Brian and Krejjh roped you into watching a Dwarnian soap, huh?’

‘It was so weird. I mean, not the show, though that was…definitely strange. They were so relaxed and they were just _sitting_ there and…how could they do that with me, when I shot them? How can any of you trust me? Or forgive me?’

‘Look, RJ.’ Arkady hit the save button and pushed her data screen aside. ‘It has absolutely occurred to all of us that taking two former agents on board is a big risk.’ RJ flinched, as if waiting for a blow. Or a bullet. Arkady pretended not to see. ‘But you both came willingly and you had good reasons. Maybe you were under duress, but you had other options and you didn’t take them. So, on balance…you’re probably not planning to betray us at the first opportunity.’

‘What do you mean?’ RJ’s forehead crinkled. ‘I had to come with you. Goodman-’

‘Goodman turned on you, but you could have waited somewhere quiet then sorted it out over the comms.’

‘That probably… I mean, I wouldn’t have believed it before Park, but…’ RJ looked deeply uncomfortable. ‘They probably would have sent me to Zone Z anyway. Just in case.’

‘Yeah. Fun group, the IGR. Which leads us to your other option: you could have shot us all.’

‘What?’ RJ sat up straight, horrified.

‘It’s the logical choice. No one’s going to think you’re a traitor if you’ve just killed four dissidents.’

‘But that would have been…I couldn’t have done that. That would have been murder.’

Arkady shrugged. ‘Some people are ok with murder.’

‘ _Not me._ ’

‘Uh huh. So, like I said. You had options, and you chose to come with us. It’s enough for us to give you a chance, you know? Though I should take this special moment to say that if you fuck us over it won’t end well for you.’

RJ digested this for a bit, thought Arkady suspected they were unfamiliar with the trust more than the death threat. Just when Arkady thought the conversation was over, RJ spoke again.

‘But even so, I _shot Krejjh_. Do you not care? Don’t you want to punish me for that?’

‘Punishment is kind of… not our thing. Well, definitely not Sana’s thing. Anyway. You were doing your job, as well as you could, based on everything you’d been brought up to believe. And when you couldn’t live with the IGR’s orders anymore, you disobeyed. And you left.’ Arkady fiddled with the empty coffee mug in front of her. ‘Hell, Krejjh can probably relate. They were in the army for a while, before it got too much.’

‘But-’

Arkady interrupted, frustrated. This sympathy shit was _hard_.

‘And yeah, the IGR approach would probably be to kill you anyway, just because. But kind of the whole point of being outlaws is that we don’t agree with the IGR way of doing things.’

Silence fell, punctuated only by Krejjh’s voice from the other side of the room, describing the usual layout of Dwarnian bases. How had she ended up in the feelings corner while the others talked security? _This is what happens when you hang out with good people,_ Arkady thought grumpily. They made you want to be better too.

She reached for her crutches and hauled herself out of the chair. Today’s feelings quota was officially exhausted. McCabe would either believe her, or they wouldn’t. Still…

‘Anyway. I’m gonna go work out for a bit. Want to come?’

RJ frowned. ‘Even with everything you just said, you don’t have to be nice to me.’

‘Huh?’ Arkady blinked innocently.

‘Asking me to go with you. You’re being nice; I’m not stupid.’

‘Don’t flatter yourself, kid.’ Arkady started moving towards the door, leaning heavily on the crutches. ‘Violet said I can do arm workouts, but I need someone else to move the weights into position.’ 

RJ trailed after her.


End file.
